Voters in areas of Warren County will decide on two tax increase proposals during local elections June 2.

The tax proposals are for residents of the Warren County R-III School District and residents of the city of Truesdale.

In the R-III district, residents are being asked to approve Proposition W, a property tax increase of 39 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation. The tax increase will be used to provide more competitive salaries for teachers and support staff.

This is the school district’s second recent attempt to pass a tax increase for salaries, with a similar proposal being rejected by voters last August.

Prop W would increase the taxes on a $150,000 home by about $111 per year. For a $10,000 vehicle, the annual tax would increase by about $13.

Prop W would generate about $1.1 million per year for the district, said Superintendent Dr. Gregg Klinginsmith.

If Prop W is approved, every hourly staff member will receive a $1 per hour raise, and the budget for teacher salaries will increase by 3.7 percent, Klinginsmith said. No additional salary would go to the superintendent.

“The need for us to have competitive salaries has not changed. ... Even though we are currently going through tough times, the district is committed to fulfilling our campaign promises and giving the raises to our employees if Prop W would pass,” Klinginsmith said. “If Prop W fails, no employee will receive a raise next year and all salaries will be frozen.”

Klinginsmith has previously commented to The Record that R-III’s staff salaries compare poorly to neighboring school districts. It’s a problem that’s led to a turnover rate of 13 to 20 percent among teaching staff over the last four years, according to data from the district.

More information about Prop W can be found at www.warrencor3.org/our_district/prop_w_information.

In the city of Truesdale, city leaders are asking residents to consider a half-cent sales tax to help pay for street improvements.

If approved, half a cent would be added to every dollar of purchases at shops in Truesdale. The additional sales tax would be exclusively limited to “transportation purposes,” according to the ballot language.

No additional property tax would be created by the proposal.

“The deteriorating conditions of the streets in recent years is due to lack of funding and the increase in (cost of) petroleum products for repairs and maintenance,” city leaders told residents in March.

City officials are trying to address those needs while also budgeting for projects such as improvements to Bruer Park. Having a dedicated sales tax for streets would remove some of that tension from the budget.

Truesdale currently has a total of 1.5 cents of sales tax on every dollar of sales. Most of that goes to general operations, with a smaller portion going to a capital improvement fund for major projects. The additional proposed tax would bring the city’s portion of sales taxes to an even 2 cents per dollar of sales.

City officials estimate the new sales tax would generate more than $60,000 per year for street projects.